1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a facsimile apparatus, and more particularly to a facsimile apparatus having both image display function and hard copying function.
2. Related Art Statement
Hitherto, conventional facsimile apparatuses have had no visual image-display function thereby causing a problem to arise, such as in the case where an unnecessary document is supplied thereto and the unnecessary document is output and therefore the recording paper sheets are wasted.
In order to prevent the aforesaid waste of recording paper sheets, an image signal processing apparatus having a visual image-display function and a hard copying function has been disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 2-231868. The aforesaid apparatus comprises a memory for storing a facsimile-received image signal, a signal processing circuit for displaying the stored memory data on an electronic display unit thereof, another signal processing circuit for causing a recording unit to record the image signal, and a selection circuit for arbitrarily changing over the aforesaid units which receive the output therefrom.
Furthermore, an image forming apparatus has been disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 63-318583. That image forming apparatus has a recording medium for displaying memory data while forming memory data into a positive image, and further has an intermediate recording medium for inverting the aforesaid image recorded on the recording medium in order to transfer and fix it on the recording paper sheet, wherein a toner image formed on the intermediate recording medium is transferred onto a visible display medium or a plurality of recording mediums, which are recording mediums adapted to a printing operation. The term "toner image" used hereinbefore indicates an image formed by causing an image forming agent (hereinafter called "toner") to electrostatically adhere to the medium.
However, the conventional facsimile apparatuses, each of which displays image information by using electronic display means, encounter a problem that the structure of the apparatus and the scanning procedure become too complicated, causing a failure and an operation error to take place because the apparatuses are provided with further advanced functions.
The image forming apparatus for transferring a toner image formed on the intermediate recording medium onto either of the visible display medium or a plurality of the recording mediums, which are recording mediums adapted to the printing operation, necessitates performing an intermediate process for inverting the positive toner image formed on the displaying recording medium so as to form it on the intermediate recording medium. Therefore, problems arise in that the quality of the toner image formed on the recording medium deteriorates and the height of the apparatus cannot be shortened as compared with the structure in which the toner image on the image recording medium is directly transferred on to the recording paper sheet. What is worse, the structure, in which toner is supplied to the leading portion of the recording electrode by using a rotary magnet, requires synchronized timing of the movement of the image recording medium and that of the application of the recording voltage to the recording electrode with each other, making it difficult to form a toner image having high resolution on the image recording medium.